Being Misunderstood

Satan questions are motives. The Lord does not accuse us. Satan does. The Lord knows our heart but sometimes He allows our motives to be revealed to others by our response to trials and tribulations. In today’s passage, we see that the Lord did not question or think Job had bad or ulterior motives. In fact, his response was to list all of Job’s good qualities and the state of his heart.

When Satan attacks us even those closest to us who we thought genuinely knew who we were and what we stood for begin to question our motives and decisions. Job’s wife assumed that Job was an upstanding guy for the sake of his own integrity. It did not occur to her that Job wanted to do right by God. Not only did she question Job’s motives but she gave him advice based on what she thought was his driving force. In the midst of being misunderstood, like Job, we ought to hold fast to what we truly believe. This may or may not include defending our position. But depending on who we are speaking to, this may not be a fruitless endeavour. In some cases, our response may be a response of silence, as was the case for our Saviour when he was accused.

Matthew 27:14 - But Jesus made no response to any of the charges, much to the governor’s surprise. (NLT)

Questions for reflection: Am I misunderstood? Do I need to dismiss advice that goes against my values? Do I seek to remain righteous before the Lord? Do I need to defend myself? Do I need to remain silent? Have I asked the Holy Spirit for wisdom so that I can be slow to speak?